Read Philippians 4:5 in your personal Bible or at the link provided.
Discover
Depending on the Bible translation you read for today’s verse, you saw Paul give an imperative to the Philippians to be “gentle,” “considerate,” or “kind.” The original Greek doesn’t have a clear English equivalent for this word, but most commentators consistently agree that it means being selfless. When it boils down to it, Paul urged the Philippian church to seek what was best for others and not just for themselves. This would express itself through gentleness, consideration, and kindness.
These aren’t necessarily desired values in our culture today. We’re more often encouraged to clamor for our rights or get “what’s ours.” But as followers of Christ, we recognize that God is the ultimate judge. We don’t have to clamor. We can seek the best of others with gentle consideration and kindness, knowing that our ultimate reward awaits us in heaven.
Jesus is our example, displaying complete selflessness when He came to earth as a man and died on our behalf. Let’s respond by gently, selflessly, and sacrificially loving those we come in contact with today.
• Be selfless. Think through typical scenarios in your daily life. When are you most likely to not be selfless, gentle, considerate, or kind? Spend some time praying and confessing, and then reach out to someone else about it, whether to seek reconciliation for a hurt you’ve caused or to seek accountability to help you stay on track in the future.
Respond
Use your Philippians Guidebook to reflect and respond. For a digital copy of the guidebook, visit tpcc.org/rebels-guide.
Want to go deeper? Look up the following verses to see the different layers of confession God calls you to. Let this guide your time of response as God brings things to the surface in your life. Who are you called to confess to, and what are the results? Note what you observe and then continue with your time of response.
• 1 John 1:8-9
• James 5:16